Where Angels Fear to Tread Campaign Wiki
"My dear older brother, Edward of Angoulême, holds his bible next to his sword as he accompanies father on his sorties against the King of France. I disagreed with them, and now I'm banished to York. Lovely, but it's not London. It's not even Bordeaux... "To think, not that long ago, they celebrated me as the 'Child of the Epiphany' – three kings and all – and because I ask if chevauchées are what Jesu would do, they question my faith. Perhaps ironic then, or perhaps fated now, to know the Magi weren't simply three kings of the bible, they were of the same cloth of Merlin himself. And with that, my bible sits among the other books of myth and legends as I create gold from lead for the Royal war effort... "We do need France, I know that, but not its gold. I can make enough of that right here. We need it's heart and soul, we need our brothers and sisters... for what I have seen on the horizon is a darkness which pales the Book of Revelation..." - Richard of Bordeaux, Prince of England, second to the throne. Where Angels Fear to Tread In the Year of Our Lord Thirteen Hundred and Eighty-Nine... Dear gentles, things are a bit different than you may remember. Edward of Woodstock, Black Prince of the House Plantagenet,'' lived past his 45th – and has since ascended to the throne of England as ''Edward IV. His first-born, Edward of Angoulême, is now the 24-year old Crown Prince. As a boy, young Prince Edward was stricken by the Black Plague – and miraculously survived with his younger brother Richard by his side. Set to one day become Edward V, Prince Edward is happy to battle on behalf of his father – the king who has arguably become the most popular Briton since Richard the Lionheart – with comparisons made to King Arthur himself. And therein lies the biggest twist to history: Richard of Bordeaux 'had already been King Richard II for 12 years in the original timeline. Now the 22-year old ''second prince, Richard is the Court Magician and Chief Advisor, wise beyond his years. So wise, in fact, that the Lord High Steward and the Lord High Chancellor straddle the King's directives with the prince's management. While King Edward is the popular face, it's Prince Richard, Regent in the absence of his father, who produces enough gold to gild the Tower of London. The rest of London sparkles with Merlin's magic and the world has tilted to spin on the axis of England. Is Richard, born on the Epiphany, Merlin reborn...? London seems to think so, and is himself so popular that the Archbishop of Canterbury dare not utter a word against English magic. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, seems to think so, too. He has promised his duchy to Richard (pending approval of the king) should the Prince finally agree to magically help him conquer Castile. '''Enter the Pilgrims There is rumor that Prince Richard hides most of his creations – from wands anyone can use ''that cast great balls of fire, to cannons that can pummel mountains into valleys. Such power would end the bloodshed in France and Castile overnight, but Richard will not allow their use – ''if they exist. The Church, already tearing itself apart before Richard, is torn again with excommunicating England for the use of magic (much less sparking the Lollardy movement) – or recruiting them against the encroaching Turks. Suitors and courtiers from around Europe are throwing themselves at the English Edwards, and quietly, at Prince Richard. England has become unfathomably wealthy, the Crown a bottomless moneylender, and it's said that the streets of London are paved in gold brick. Obviously not, but those are the tales that entrance courts as far as the exotic city of Samarkand – and possibly to China itself. Through back channels, there are rumors of wealth and power in service to the Crown of England. It matters not where the brave hail from, only that they bring knowledge exotic or once thought lost to the Library Palatine, the academic capital of Prince Richard. * So opens the door to our player's characters. Where do they come from and what tomes can they offer? Players should begin their quest by sallying forth on the Road to London. * Guiding this process, Refs should look at the bigger picture of Darkness Rising... Where Angels Fear to Tread is the introductory fantasy campaign of the Speculation Role-playing System. The escutcheon of Prince Richard of Bordeaux Latest Activity Category:Introduction